A Tool-Drawered Unit

At what point something becomes a chest I am not sure. Probably more than two drawers I seem to remember from my early days with George. I made this one well over two decades ago and now find it an indispensable place for my special tools and equipment. It's one of those pieces where simplicity of design speaks for itself. Taking small units out of the realms of being fussy and complicated is the art of objectivity. The piece is simple enough; it ticks many boxes as far as functionality and usefulness goes. I think we all underestimate just how many loose misfit tools we have that defy hanging, free-standing and slotting for stowage goes. My apron bench drawer is a godsend to me, but since I retrieved my two drawered unit back from storage in Texas I wonder how I ever did without it.

Here's another neat thing. Aside from its usefulness, the unit is a great training project for anyone taking the plunge into their first half lap dovetails. It has ultra long housing dadoes you may not have tackled before and then there are the tenoned housing dadoes for drawer backs, ploughing grooves, drawer sizing and fitting and much more. I don't need to build a prototype because here it is. It will fit onto the benchtop without being in the way most of the time but you can also fit it under the bench or somewhere near-to as I generally do. In my unit I like to keep special tools that require precision and taking care of. These are my measuring gauges and devices, certain scale rulers, protractors, templates, that kind of thing. Tools of my trade that I keep always safe and protected. It would also make a good unit for storing my fine art equipment, leather tools, knives for violin making and much more don't you think?

Anyway, rather than see the design die in the background of my garage workshop I thought it would be a perfect training project.